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NEUTRON BOMB

Another nuclear weapon that combines both processes is the neutron bomb. A neutron bomb is designed to produce a minimal blast and amount of heat but very large amounts of deadly radiation. In a neutron bomb, a conventional explosive is used to ignite a few pounds of plutonium or uranium, which serves serve as a fission “trigger” for a few grams of hydrogen isotope, prompting a thermonuclear explosion. The energy yielded by a neutron bomb is often tiny in comparison to other fission and fusion weapons—as little as one kiloton or less—and its blast and heat effects may only reach a few hundred meters.

However, the weapon’s fusion reaction would create a powerful wave of neutron and gamma radiation that would be extremely dangerous to life. The neutron bomb’s short-range destructiveness and the absence of long-range effects may make it most effective when used on the battlefield, as the risk of harming civilian populations in nearby cities would be far less than with any other nuclear weapon. Neutron weapons could be launched from missiles, fired by artillery pieces, or delivered by small aircraft.

 

Other Types of Nuclear Weapons

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Nuclear weapons have only been used on civilian populations twice, but while the weapons used in these two attacks have since been dwarfed in power and scope by others their effects on the cities and people attacked provide a clear picture of what these weapons are capable of. When Hiroshima was eclipsed in a fireball reaching a temperature of several million degrees, the resulting heat flash literally vaporized every living thing within it, and within a radius of half a mile the only human remains were the shadows of those who happened to be outdoors at the time burned onto the roads and sidewalks where they stood.

 

Radiation exposure can also lead to cancer, and the fallout from a nuclear explosion can create cancer-causing radiation over twenty years later. The children of those exposed to radiation will be more likely to experience birth defects and develop cancers such as leukemia. It is difficult to attribute a particular cancer to a particular cause due to the long period that can occur between exposure and onset.

 

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Later Years

 

Effects of Nuclear Weapons

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Nuclear weapons have only been used on civilian populations twice, but while the weapons used in these two attacks have since been dwarfed in power and scope by others their effects on the cities and people attacked provide a clear picture of what these weapons are capable of. When Hiroshima was eclipsed in a fireball reaching a temperature of several million degrees, the resulting heat flash literally vaporized every living thing within it, and within a radius of half a mile the only human remains were the shadows of those who happened to be outdoors at the time burned onto the roads and sidewalks where they stood.

 

As buildings collapse and burn, people who are indoors during such an attack will be killed indirectly, if not from fire or collapse then from suffocation as the fireball absorbs all surrounding oxygen. Hurricane force winds created from the blast’s suction will drive the firestorm further. Even those who manage to reach underground shelters will eventually die as all the oxygen is siphoned from the atmosphere.

 

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Ground Zero

 

Effects of Nuclear Weapons

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Critical mass is achieved when enough collisions occur to cause a chain reaction that will result in a nuclear explosion. Two chief methods are employed to accomplish this. In the gun method, one piece of sub- critical mass is shot into another until critical mass is reached. In the implosion method, chemical explosives are used to compress a single piece of sub-critical mass until its density is multiplied.

If two pounds of uranium-235 is completely fissioned, it will release 17 kilotons of nuclear energy. The heat energy released will create temperatures of several million degrees as the bomb itself explodes, creating a large fireball. This fireball will be so hot that it will be able to ignite enough fires to burn a small city to the ground. The shock wave produced will project several miles from the site of the blast and be capable of destroying buildings for several miles. A fission bomb will also emit large quantities of neutrons and gamma rays. Materials within the fireball will vaporize and condense to fine particles, which will be carried by the wind to the upper atmosphere as fallout. Even limited exposure to fallout within a few weeks after the detonation of a fission weapon may be deadly.

FISSION PROCESS CRITICAL MASS

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Nuclear weapons have only been used on civilian populations twice, but while the weapons used in these two attacks have since been dwarfed in power and scope by others their effects on the cities and people attacked provide a clear picture of what these weapons are capable of. When Hiroshima was eclipsed in a fireball reaching a temperature of several million degrees, the resulting heat flash literally vaporized every living thing within it, and within a radius of half a mile the only human remains were the shadows of those who happened to be outdoors at the time burned onto the roads and sidewalks where they stood.

 

Symptoms of high radioactive fallout exposure may include hair loss, bleeding from the mouth and gums, internal bleeding and diarrhea, ulcers, vomiting, fever, delirium, and terminal coma, with death following in a matter of days. If the exposure levels are lower, short-term survival may be a greater possibility, but not without complications.

 

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Symptoms

 

Effects of Nuclear Weapons

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Nuclear weapons are devices designed to create massive explosions through the release of nuclear energy, typically through the processes of nuclear fission and fusion. To show the enormous amounts of energy produced by these weapons, it is helpful to describe them in terms of kilotons and megatons. A kiloton represents the amount of blast energy equivalent to that of one thousand tons of the conventional explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT). A megaton has its equivalency in one million tons of TNT.

 

As the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Union ended, both nations committed to reducing their stockpiles and executed those commitments—but the threat of nuclear war was far from over. Numerous nations had become nuclear powers by the end of the twentieth century. In 1998, India and its rival Pakistan both successfully tested nuclear weapons, and in 2004 it was revealed that the head of Pakistan’s nuclear program had secretly sold nuclear technology to Libya, Iran, and North Korea —demonstrating how easy it might be for such technology to find its way into the hands of those who might not treat it judiciously.

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What Is a Nuclear Weapon?

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Nuclear weapons are devices designed to create massive explosions through the release of nuclear energy, typically through the processes of nuclear fission and fusion. To show the enormous amounts of energy produced by these weapons, it is helpful to describe them in terms of kilotons and megatons. A kiloton represents the amount of blast energy equivalent to that of one thousand tons of the conventional explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT). A megaton has its equivalency in one million tons of TNT.

 

By the 1960s the United States and Soviet Union were neck-to- neck in the arms race, a situation that came to be known as Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) or “deterrence.” Each nation had developed intercontinental ballistic and submarine- launched missiles, and if either nation took the initiative of attacking the other both would be damaged to the point of collapse. Thousands of nuclear weapons were produced but never used by both nations, and when it was discovered that the Soviet Union was placing missiles in Cuba to allow for a nuclear attack on the U.S. mainland, a nuclear war nearly resulted. China, France, and Great Britain developed their own nuclear weapons as well.

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Nuclear weapons have only been used on civilian populations twice, but while the weapons used in these two attacks have since been dwarfed in power and scope by others their effects on the cities and people attacked provide a clear picture of what these weapons are capable of. When Hiroshima was eclipsed in a fireball reaching a temperature of several million degrees, the resulting heat flash literally vaporized every living thing within it, and within a radius of half a mile the only human remains were the shadows of those who happened to be outdoors at the time burned onto the roads and sidewalks where they stood.

 

Accurate estimates of long-term fatalities at Hiroshima and Nagasaki are not possible, as U.S. forces destroyed many records during the post-war occupation and many residents migrated after the war’s end. General estimates of casualties stand at 140,000 in Hiroshima and 75,000 in Nagasaki. What can be determined without any doubt whatsoever is that nuclear weapons cause severe damage to the climate and environment on a scale that cannot be matched by any other weapon.

 

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In History

 

Effects of Nuclear Weapons

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Nuclear weapons have only been used on civilian populations twice, but while the weapons used in these two attacks have since been dwarfed in power and scope by others their effects on the cities and people attacked provide a clear picture of what these weapons are capable of. When Hiroshima was eclipsed in a fireball reaching a temperature of several million degrees, the resulting heat flash literally vaporized every living thing within it, and within a radius of half a mile the only human remains were the shadows of those who happened to be outdoors at the time burned onto the roads and sidewalks where they stood.

 

The further from the site of the explosion one gets, the greater the number of immediate survivors; many of them, however, will be badly burned, blinded, or suffer massive internal injuries. Most emergency service personnel will be unable to respond due to their equipment being destroyed—if they survive themselves, that is. Regardless of where the attack occurs, the number of casualties will overwhelm medical resources. The Red Cross currently has no international plan in place for the event of a nuclear attack.

 

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Further Out

 

Effects of Nuclear Weapons

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Nuclear weapons are devices designed to create massive explosions through the release of nuclear energy, typically through the processes of nuclear fission and fusion. To show the enormous amounts of energy produced by these weapons, it is helpful to describe them in terms of kilotons and megatons. A kiloton represents the amount of blast energy equivalent to that of one thousand tons of the conventional explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT). A megaton has its equivalency in one million tons of TNT.

 

The very first nuclear weapon ever used against human populations, which was used by the United States against the people of Hiroshima, Japan in 1945, contained about 140 pounds of highly enriched uranium. The energy released by this weapon’s detonation measured about 15 kilotons. When this bomb, codenamed “Little Boy,” was deployed, its blast produced a strong shock wave, enormous amounts of heat, and radiation at highly lethal levels. The explosion created convection currents that drew dust and other debris into the air. This debris formed a miles-high mushroom-shaped cloud now characteristic of nuclear explosions. Some of this debris later settled as radioactive fallout after being carried by the wind further into the atmosphere.

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What Is a Nuclear Weapon?

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Nuclear weapons are devices designed to create massive explosions through the release of nuclear energy, typically through the processes of nuclear fission and fusion. To show the enormous amounts of energy produced by these weapons, it is helpful to describe them in terms of kilotons and megatons. A kiloton represents the amount of blast energy equivalent to that of one thousand tons of the conventional explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT). A megaton has its equivalency in one million tons of TNT.

 

In the years following World War II, the United States (and later other nations) developed weapons that dwarfed the power of Little Boy and Fat Man. In 1946, the first efforts were made to conceive what the nuclear engineers who had worked to develop these previous weapons referred to as the “classical Super,” a nuclear weapon that would create a thermonuclear reaction superseding any weapon that had ever before been imagined. When it was revealed that the Soviet Union had tested its first nuclear devices, the nuclear arms race was begun.

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Nuclear weapons have only been used on civilian populations twice, but while the weapons used in these two attacks have since been dwarfed in power and scope by others their effects on the cities and people attacked provide a clear picture of what these weapons are capable of. When Hiroshima was eclipsed in a fireball reaching a temperature of several million degrees, the resulting heat flash literally vaporized every living thing within it, and within a radius of half a mile the only human remains were the shadows of those who happened to be outdoors at the time burned onto the roads and sidewalks where they stood.

 

For anyone who is fortunate enough to survive the blast with both their life and their well-being, radioactive fallout will begin to set in within a few days. Its extent will depend on whether the nuclear bomb is detonated in the air, as it was at Hiroshima, or after hitting the ground. The latter will cause much greater quantities of debris to be propelled into the atmosphere. The speed and direction of the wind will determine the severity of the fallout, with heavier particles falling within or close to the vicinity. Finer particles will travel over longer distances and may fall as radioactive rain.

 

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Radioactive Fallout

 

Effects of Nuclear Weapons

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Many terrorism experts completely dismiss the possibility of non-state actors obtaining and using nuclear WMDs. However, it is known that the Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda has made documented attempts to procure nuclear material as early as 1993. In an interview following the 9/11 attacks, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden stated:

“I wish to declare that if America used chemical or nuclear weapons against us, then we may retort with chemical and nuclear weapons. We have the weapons as a deterrent.”

Ayman al-Zawahiri, who later succeeded bin Laden as the organization’s head, followed this by stating:

“If you have $30 million, go to the black market in central Asia, contact any disgruntled Soviet scientist . . . They have contacted us, we sent our people to Moscow to Tashkent to other central Asian states, and they negotiated and we purchased some suitcase bombs.” (Mowatt-Larsen, 2010)

Potential Use by Terrorists Continued…

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DESIRED EFFECT

An atomic bomb is typically detonated in order to produce the extremely high temperatures that are required for the fusion process. A fission chain reaction is created, producing a preliminary explosion and temperatures of several million degrees. The heat initiates fusion, and neutrons released by the fusion reaction create most of the energy released by the explosion as well as a good quantity of nuclear fallout. A thermonuclear bomb creates a series of explosions, which together take only a fraction of a second to occur.

In addition to the fireball and shock wave that occur with fission weapons as well, the intense white light of a thermonuclear explosion can cause permanent blindness from dozens of miles away and can also ignite combustible materials such as wood at a range of many miles. Its radioactive fallout may contaminate air, water, and soil for years after the explosion, with a worldwide distribution.

A thermonuclear weapon’s explosive power is usually measured in megatons rather than kilotons. The most powerful hydrogen bombs in history, which was detonated in the 1961 Soviet “Tsar Bomba” test, measured over 50 megatons, making it 3,800 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. This amount of energy is equivalent to 110 billion pounds of TNT. Most thermonuclear bombs, however, are closer to one megaton in strength. These weapons can also be made small enough to fit inside a warhead carried by a ballistic missile.

Fusion Weapons Continued…

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LESSON SEVEN: NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND THREATS

The most dangerous of all weapons of mass destruction—and the most dangerous weapons of any type in existence on Earth—are those that use nuclear processes to create explosions. Only used twice in warfare, nuclear weapons are capable of destroying all life as we know it, a fact that illustrates the importance of keeping them out of the hands of non-state actors. However, at the same time the knowledge and materials required to construct a sophisticated nuclear device have put this class of weapons outside of the grasp of terrorists.

 

Topics to be covered include:

 

What is a nuclear weapon? Fission weapons Fusion weapons Other types of nuclear weapons Deployment Effects of nuclear weapons Potential use by terrorists Efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism

 

Introduction

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While nuclear weapons using fission and fusion processes are unlikely to fall into the hands of terrorists, the possibility of such an occurrence is so dire that it must be taken seriously. The aftermaths of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks coupled with the development of nuclear weapons far more powerful in the decades since have shown that a nuclear attack from a non-state actor could devastate the nation’s very foundation not just immediately, but for many, many years in the future.

Conclusion

KEY TERMS

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Nuclear weapons are devices designed to create massive explosions through the release of nuclear energy, typically through the processes of nuclear fission and fusion. To show the enormous amounts of energy produced by these weapons, it is helpful to describe them in terms of kilotons and megatons. A kiloton represents the amount of blast energy equivalent to that of one thousand tons of the conventional explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT). A megaton has its equivalency in one million tons of TNT.

 

Three days later, a second bomb, “Fat Man,” was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. Fat Man, with an energy yield of 21 kilotons, used plutonium instead of the uranium that gave Little Boy its power, and the developers of these bombs had sought to test the effects of both materials. No single weapon before this had ever produced the levels of destruction, death, injury, and sickness that these two attacks created. By the end of 1945, 140,000 of Hiroshima’s 350,000 people had died from the blast or its effects; in Nagasaki, 70,000 of the city’s population of 270,000 were dead.

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What Is a Nuclear Weapon?

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